Matthew Katz '17 Recruiting Profile

Hi, I'm Matt Katz. Currently, I'm a Junior at the Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York. I'd like to think others consider me to be a  Renaissance man of sorts; I play instruments (trombone, trumpet and guitar), paint, read, and perhaps most importantly, I run. To many people, running is a monotonous task, only to be performed when a few pounds here and there need to be shed. To me, however, running is a life source. People love to tell me, "Hey Matt, I know you like running, but I don't get what's so cool about it. There's no ball to hit, person to tackle, goal to shoot on, or any of that stuff. In fact, you willingly run in circles to torture yourself! Now where's the fun in that?" They don't understand why I run, I figured out. They don't know what it's like to get up at five in the morning and run on the trails. They don't know what it's like to be motivated by your teammates, helping you finish a grueling track workout. They don't grasp the fundamental concept of running that I believe is imperative to the success of every runner, from the 55 meter dash to the marathon. Run to run, and run because you love to run. That's it, no formula or anything like that, I don't run to laugh in the faces of my competitors if I out-kick them. I cherish the opportunity to work with like-minded individuals. It's a great thing to be able to make and share powerful memories with some of your best friends. Running allows us to connect in ways that non-runners might not understand. People say that running is a sport, but I'd argue it's a lifestyle. In fact, running has been essential to the human race since the dawn of man. If you didn't run, you didn't survive. It's as simple as that. Of course running today is not quite so primitive, but the basic concepts have been passed down over the millennia. Running makes us happy, helps de-stress in our busy lives, and allows us to believe in our own abilities. Running is a true art form in the sense that we can do it and become good at it because we want to. Run to run, and run because you love to run.